Interesting article. When you make an alternative to Amazon which has a similar selection and shipping time I will consider it.

I do not have a local book shop. My supermarket which is strangling farmers, killing off grocers, butchers, video game shops etc only have the best sellers list.

I have yet to find an alternative which is consistently cheap and delivers next day or the day after with free shipping..

To your points.

> Amazon publishes ebooks designed to attack your freedom

This is no different from music. I could choose to buy a physical book but sometimes I feel that my kindle could get it faster and I could save space in my house which already is littered with large books.

> Amazon's on-line music "sales" have some of the same problems as the ebooks

This is the same as a number of other music retailers. If I want to avoid this I will get a DVD. Just because Amazon offers you a convenient option doesn't mean you have to take it. I would rather save space in my house and save the environment by purchasing digital music than buy a CD which will be scanned onto my computer once then left on a shelf.

> Amazon's shipping in the US is done in a sweatshop

Oh well.. this is something state officials should look into. I have seen the UK distribution center a number of times on the news and it looks alright.

> Amazon cut off service to Wikileaks

Oh well.. it is Amazon's service. Wikileaks can use another. I use a service and I cut people off fairly often due to the content they post. They broke my terms -> They go. The end. They can build their own software. Or in Wikileaks case.. find another host / make their own.

> Amazon squeezes small publishers.

Amazon looks to give the best deal possible to the customer. Sometimes people get trodden on. If Amazon won't do you an agreeable deal go elsewhere. Make an organization with similar companies and reject any deals which you cannot agree to. Throw your weight behind a different ebook reader.

> Amazon doesn't just compete with independent book stores, it arrogantly seeks to destroy them.

Please.. there are app's like this which compare prices all over the place. Again. Amazon looks to give the best deal possible to the customer. When I buy from a bookshop I know I am paying more. That is fine because I can see the book, touch the book and take it home then and there. Most people know this.

Sometimes a local book store cannot sell a book even remotely competitively. An app which told me this would be nice. I don't mind paying a few pounds more in a store. When it is £5-10 there is a problem with the shop.

> Amazon appears to treat self-published authors well, but it can unilaterally cut the price of their books. And when it does, the authors are the ones who lose.

It is an authors choice whether they use the publishing platform or not. I wouldn't after hearing how Amazon auto-discounted an authors book and the author got screwed.

> Amazon censored an ebook that exposed how ebook bestseller lists can be manipulated (and therefore are meaningless).

Is this so unexpected? Guy tries to publish book on Amazon about how to game the Amazon review and ranking system...

> Amazon was a member of ALEC.

Oh well.

Amazon isn't a saint. They are responsible for putting a number of small businesses out of business. They damage the high street. However.. look at any major superstore. Its just the evolution of business. I will not be boycotting Amazon any time soon.